


Leap of Faith

by TheatricalAssassin



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Acrobatics Training, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Fluff, Teen Romance, Training accident, Writing Prompt, mild romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-10 10:23:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10435599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheatricalAssassin/pseuds/TheatricalAssassin
Summary: Under cover of darkness the ninjas come out to play. This night two of the crew head for the roof tops for a little acrobatics training before one of them takes a leap of faith.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For WombatKing on tumblr

The roofs are alive with the sound of ninja training. As “extra credit” April and Karai decided to take a run across New York through the Thieves Highway. Karai easily jumped and flipped off air conditioners, edges of buildings, and rolled skillfully back into a run. April took a less direct route, but no less effective. She ran around the air conditioners that Karai but jumped over the duct that it was attached to, she clearly was balanced and had everything under control but not  _ nearly _ to the level of her rival. Since Karai had decided to stay with Splinter and the gang things seemed to be going a lot better for it, at least Leo stopped worrying about her every time they left the lair. 

April looked at her new companion as they ran, her slender form was one that was hard wrought from years and years of intense training, every move was not carefully calculated it was reflex and practice. Now she was sure if Karai wanted to get flashy she would really think about what she was doing but right now? This was what it looked like to be a pro, it made her feel just a twinge of jealousy. At some point in her training, April wanted to make it to her level and if she was going to catch up she was going to have to work very hard. The rush of the wind on her face as duo playfully chased each other put a feeling in her that was purely indescribable, she hadn’t felt this alive before meeting the turtles and getting involved in all of this and with each leap, each time she manages to match steps with Karai she gets this feeling of being enough. They slowed to a stop on a apartment complex, Kurai looked over the edge for a moment then turned to April. 

“So,” she said looking at the gap in the building “think you can make this one?” 

“Oh you know it.” April said with a toothy grin “I can run with the best of them.”

It took ninja a second but Karai gave a small giggle, the sound of it sending warmth snaking through April’s being, she broke into a run hopping down onto the fire escape and leaping to the next building building over. She landed perfectly on the rooftop and beckoned April to cross. Now standing so close to the edge and seeing how far the gap was, it suddenly appeared much farther and much deeper than before -her heart beat in double time in response-, she swallowed her fear and looked back the way they came. She walked back to the opposite end and took a breath. ‘ _ This was it. _ ’ She thought ‘ _ Time to make the jump. _ ’ The gravel that’s accrued on the roof crunching underfoot as she raced through counted the steps. One, two, three, jump! She sailed through the air, her arms outstretched for the ledge, everything slowed into bullet time the closer she got right up until everything snapped painfully back into real time. She landed with a heavy thud against the rooftop just past Karai knocking all the breath out of her. She’d overshot her mark and didn’t plan accordingly and now she laid on the ground vaguely registering the pain. 

“Are you okay?” Karai asked concerned 

“Yep, I’m good, I’m ok” April said getting to her feet “Just overdid it a little” 

“You seem,” she paused thinking over her words carefully “distracted.” 

She was right, April had been rather distracted. Ever since Karai came over to their side she didn’t know how to feel about it. On the one hand, this is the girl who has beat them all senseless time after time, worked with the man who was trying to kill them all, and who knows what else she did while under the Foot Clan. On the other however, she really did come to their side, she looked at everything that was put before her and realized that she’d been wronged. She attends practice, sometimes even leads it! She  _ tries _ to be a part of this goofy family despite there being a certain amount of wariness from a few of the guys. She wants to be here. April looked at her, she appeared relaxed but she knew that wasn’t true, she was alert, aware, and ready. 

“It’s just good to have you here, it’s good to have another girl on the team.” April said “I love the guys and all but I think we could always have another girl around.”

Karai shifted her weight and for a moment appeared more open. “I’m glad to be here, it’s certainly different. I can’t wait to officially meet Casey.” 

“That’ll go well I’m sure” April snorted “I can’t wait to see how he gets his ass handed to him.” The two started laughing at the idea Casey trying to challenge Karai. Slowing to a stop Karai turned her gaze elsewhere and narrowed her eyes. A sly grin spread across her face as she snapped back to April. 

“Bet you I can get to that water tower before you.” She said with fire in her eyes.

April saw nothing but sheer determination from her. “You’re on” 

They broke into a sprint, both taking what they determined to be the most direct route to the tower. April racing just behind her companion as they swiftly flitted across the rooftops. Light steps and strong grips they flip and roll through pushing themselves harder and harder to go faster and faster while not giving away their position. Karai pulled further ahead running like a tempest. She jumped and landed on the railing for the fire escape, old and rusted it creaked under her weight and before she could leap off of it it broke free from the building sending Karai tumbling down to the ground. April’s breath caught in her chest as everything became impossibly slow, she rushed to the edge and heard a deep thud against metal. Looking over she saw Karai hoisting herself up onto the fire escape. 

“Oh my god, Karai!” April shouted “Are you okay?”

“Ugh, yea” She said steadying herself on the proper side of the railing “Guess that’s a sign that I need to pay more attention to what I land on” She said bluntly. 

“Maybe we should head back,” April started, the both of them already took a fall, probably best not to push their luck. 

“No I’m good now.” Karai said standing up straight. “I can still beat you to that water tower.” That fire in her eyes still burned bright, she wasn’t about to let a little tumble stop her from this race. 

“You’re on.” April said quickly and carefully rushing towards the tower. 

While April had a headstart on Karai, there was no doubt in her mind the elusive ninja would catch up to her no problem. She ducked and weaved through the outcroppings of the rooftop and saw her goal coming into sight. The water tower was mere moments away. Just in case, she looked over her shoulder and sure enough there was her friend, Karai racing to catch up. Turning her attention back to the goal April surged forward. 

“Better hurry up I’m almost there!” April called back in a singsong voice. 

“Oh I think not!” Karai said rushing in with a burst of speed. She flew towards the water tower and grabbed one of the metal legs victoriously. “Looks like you were too slow” 

April slowed to a stop breathing hard and her heart beating fast “I’ll get you next time, where to next?” She noticed something was a bit, off, about Karai. She was uncharacteristically stiff, her whole body rigid and unmoving. At first she thought this was just a part of Karai’s body language, she normally is very still, that’s come with her years of training learning how to be still. But then she realized, this wasn’t that kind of stillness. “Is... is everything okay?”

“Yea, I’m fine,” Karai said 

“Are you  _ sure? _ ” April said staring down at her partner’s feet “You did take bad fall.” 

“I’ve had worse” She said shrugging it off “I’ll be okay”

“Then would it be okay if I took at a look at your ankle?” April said after a moment 

Realizing that she was probably not going to drop it, Karai threw her hands up in the air as if to say “sure, fine, whatever” and sat down on the edge of the building. April followed her and knelt down and almost immediately noticed that something was off. The foot where Karai had been avoiding putting weight on looked like it was already beginning to swell. She rolled up the girl’s pants leg and saw that it apparently didn’t just look bad, it felt bad too, as Karai hissed in pain when April did it. She didn’t need to be a doctor to know that this was very bad. 

“Karai we need to get you to the ER!” Worry coating her voice “There’s no way you should walk on this.” 

“I appreciate the concern April,” she started “I really do, but I’ve had worse and this is nothing. I’ll be fine.”

“What if you broke it? If you don’t get treatment you could really mess yourself up.” She said sternly “We  _ need _ to get you to a hospital.”

Karai sat quiet for a moment, thinking out her options, studying April’s face for signs of surrender but found only stubbornness. April likewise stared pleadingly into Karai’s face, silently hoping that she would at least decide that tonight’s training is over and go back to the lair. At least if they retire for the night then the guys should be able to take a look at her, with what limited medical experience they do have. April broke eye contact first, turning her attention to the ankle. The swelling at the moment didn’t look  _ too bad _ but at the same time there isn’t really anything they can do about it right here. 

Karai watched April puzzle over her injury, a feeling of shame came over her. Normally she was better at hiding this, of everything that Shredder had taught her this was something that was enforced in all lessons. A sick feeling sat in her chest as she realized that she’s sitting down during training for a superficial injury, a sprained ankle at best. There’s some swelling yes but some ice and a good night’s sleep and she’ll be ready to go in the morning. At the same time thought, the idea that someone actually  _ cared _ about her -cared enough to ask not once but twice if she was okay- that left her feeling some ways. The Foot Clan was not known for its compassion and sympathy. The Turtles however, they were willing to go out of their way to save her from Shredder the day she charged off to take vengeance for what he’d done to her family. They were strong. She had to be strong, weakness gets you killed. She had to be strong. She had to be strong because the only other option is despair, with Shredder hunting her down for her treachery there was nowhere safe she could be. Thoughts swirled in her head as April poked and prodded at her foot, occasionally sending a jolt of pain through her leg by accident. 

“You know,” April said quietly “It’s ok to be hurt Karai.” The comment took her off guard, she wasn’t expecting April to say something like that. The ninja stared at her surprised. “You don’t have to push yourself like this.” 

“You don’t understand,” she balled her fist “While he’s still out there... I have no choice.” 

“What do you mean?” April asked bewildered “You don’t have a choice in taking care of yourself?”

“That’s not what I mean.” Karai said defensively “Weakness gets you killed, it’s a fact of life, especially when it comes to ninjas.” April was silent, and for a moment Karai thought she said too much. 

“The idea of weakness is subjective.” She said standing up “Come on, let’s get you to the hospital, don’t want your ankle to get worse than it is.”

Getting  _ down _ from the building was going to be a trick. April wanting to err on the side of caution found another way down, it would require jumping to the next building over but the fire escape over there looked much more stable than the one that’s attached to the one they’re currently on as well as the one that actually caused Karai to fall. In reality? Not really any good choices on getting down, as both would require Karai to put weight on her ankle. Deciding to bite the bullet, they jumped over to the next rooftop. April watched as Karai run and leap effortlessly, it looked just as amazing as before but now she just worried. Following the ninja’s lead they climbed the fire escape down. Getting down was no issue, whenever Karai put weight on her injury she instead put all her weight on her upper body, supporting herself without causing any more stress on her ankle. Slowly and carefully she eased herself down. April took an alternate route down, choosing to climb down the sides rather than use the ladder like Karai. She dropped down without a sound and watched her friend make her way down, just in case. Without any incident Karai managed to make her way down, she looked at April with an expectant look. 

“Now what? I don’t suppose you’d like to walk there?” 

“No, I’m calling an Uber.” She already had her phone out, setting the closest hospital as their destination. “Besides, an ambulance is too noticeable and way too expensive.” She joked putting the phone back in her pocket 

Internally Karai went over what April had said, “it’s ok to be hurt”, to tell the truth it was something that she was getting hung up on. Logically yes, being hurt is something that happens. Practically? It’s hard to unlearn years of training that says otherwise. She has a high pain tolerance because of this. You doesn’t get to where she is without being able to take your licks. Her whole life has been this quest for revenge that wasn’t justified, there wasn’t room for compassion or loving care. She had just known the hate that she had felt for the man she now knows is her father, her real father. Now that quest is over, and there’s room for... something else. 

The ride came and they clamored into the vehicle. The driver showed no interest in striking up conversation, fortunately neither did April or Karai. As quickly as he could manage the driver got them to the ER. They got out and headed in to check-in. Neither particularly wanted to stay long, a feeling of unease settling on the both of them. 

Once the paperwork was filed away and the situation explained they were shown to a “room” for them to sit until the doctor came. Karai laid back on the bed, stiff and motionless. April looked at her friend, she felt that she had still not really gotten past Karai’s public mask. She honestly couldn’t blame her for not letting it down yet, she wasn’t even sure if Karai had let Master Splinter see a different mask. April wanted to get to know her, to be close to her. 

The doctor came in and examined Karai, it didn’t take long for them to decide that she needed X-rays. They quickly got her radiology where they got her ankle scanned. It didn’t take long for the radiologists to deduce that there was definitely a fracture. At first the doctors wanted to call her parents, but a flash of green quickly made those concerns vanish. Karai just wanted to leave, the sooner the better. With her permission given they got to setting the bone. Thanks to a local anesthetic she felt nothing, she saw a few needles come out and felt some pressure but for the first time this evening no pain. She almost relaxed. They applied a splint and brought her back to a room to wait for the swelling to subside before appling the short leg cast. April had been lead to the room before hand and was scrolling through her phone with a tired expression. Once she realized that Karai was here her face lit up. 

“How are you feeling?” She asked putting her hand on the bed

“Much better now,” Karai started “I can’t wait to get back to the lair.” 

“Are they not done?” She asked 

“No, right now they’re just seeing if the swelling will go down.” 

“Ah.” She said nodding. April slid her hand onto Karai’s “I’m glad that you’re feeling better Karai.”

“I’ll feel better when I’m home.” Karai said with a small smile, taking April’s hand into hers. 

Karai began to feel like she could maybe be vulnerable around April. She felt that if there was anyone who was ready to be themself around her, it would be April. April likewise felt that she could let her guard down around Karai. The time for wariness had passed, and here the two felt that maybe they could take off their public mask. 

Karai gave a quick glance to her foot, the feeling of shame bubbled up again. There was no reason for her to be here. This was something that she needed to deal with on her own time, after training not stopping it. She gave April an apologetic look, while this kind of training was the equivalent of a morning jog for April it was actual training, and because of this she had brought the night to a halt. April rubbed the back of Karia’s hand with her thumb sympathetically. 

“Karai, it’s ok.” April said “I’m sure we’ll be out of here in no time.” 

“It’s... it’s not that,” Karai started “It’s just... I’m not supposed to be this weak.” 

“Weak?” April asked incredulous “Weak how?”

“I’ve had to train on injuries like this before, I shouldn’t have to stop because I got hurt.” she explained

April looked at her confused for a moment, struggling to understand the idea that seeking medical attention was weak. She gave Karai’s hand a gentle squeeze. 

“Karai, you aren’t weak for getting help when you get hurt. Asking for help sometimes is one of the hardest things you can do.” When Karai looked away she took a breath. “If you want my honest opinion, coming here was an act of strength.” 

Karai blinked, and blinked again, she could see there was a point to April’s statement but she just, couldn’t connect the two. 

“I mean, with what you said. You’ve trained on injuries like this before.” She paused “The fact that you’re here, it tells me you’re trying to step away from the girl The Shredder tried to make you become.” 

She thought about it for a moment. April wasn’t far off. She wanted to truly become a part of this family, and even in their lowest moments they showed weakness. Yet they still persevered. Their reliance on each other brought strength, they keep each other in check. A smile creeped across her face again, had it not been for April’s concern she would have brushed this off and soldiered on. 

“Father did say that he has me now, and that there is no need for revenge.” She looked her friend in the eyes “But do you know what is sweeter than any revenge?”

“What’s that?” April asked

“You.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt (paraphrased): canon divergence where Karai doesn't become the snake mutant and lives with the turtles, her and April go on a rooftop run for acrobatics training where Karai takes a tumble and injures herself in the fall. They then bond while in the hospital. 
> 
> I have an approximate knowledge of how this works from personal experience and google. Though I will admit that it's been awhile since I've broken a bone and gone to the hospital for it. The last time I did was back in 1999 for my arm, so I assumed getting x-rays would be _much_ faster than when I was 4.
> 
> Fun fact: I've really messed up my leg doing less than all this when I was a kid. The bones in your legs might be strong but hit them just right and you'll make it REALLY difficult to walk for a while if you don't outright give yourself a fracture of some kind. Ankles are really common to mess up because it's just so easy to step wrong and your foot go "nope" and I've felt a familiar crunch with that as a kid to. Moral of the story: Try to take care of your legs and feet when doing athletics, your body will thank you in the long run.


End file.
